Menstruation and COVID-19 vaccination

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The aim of this study is to measure whether or not the COVID-19 vaccines causes changes in women’s menstrual cycle or unexpected vaginal bleeding.

Source: Menstruation and COVID-19 vaccination

    Views 731

    Symptoms of a broken system: the gender gaps in COVID-19 decision-making

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    A growing chorus of voices are questioning the glaring lack of women in COVID-19 decision-making bodies. Men dominating leadership positions in global health has long been the default mode of governing. This is a symptom of a broken system where governance is not inclusive of any type of diversity, be it gender, geography, sexual orientation, race, socio-economic status or disciplines within and beyond health – excluding those who offer unique perspectives, expertise and lived realities. This not only reinforces inequitable power structures but undermines an effective COVID-19 response – ultimately costing lives.

    By providing quantitative data, we critically assess the gender gap in task forces organised to prevent, monitor and mitigate COVID-19, and emphasise the paramount exclusion of gender-diverse voices.

    Source: Symptoms of a broken system: the gender gaps in COVID-19 decision-making

      Views 507

      Misinformation: an empirical study with scientists and communicators during the COVID-19 pandemic

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      The objective of this study was to study the experiences and views within the health science community regarding the spread and prevention of science misinformation within and beyond the setting of the COVID-19 pandemic.

      Source: Misinformation: an empirical study with scientists and communicators during the COVID-19 pandemic

        Views 597

        ‘Learn from the lessons and don’t forget them’: identifying transferable lessons for COVID-19 from meningitis A, yellow fever and Ebola virus disease vaccination campaigns

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        Low and middle-income countries (LMICs) have significant experience implementing vaccination campaigns to respond to epidemic threats but are often hindered by chronic health system challenges. We sought to identify transferable lessons for COVID-19 vaccination from the rollout of three vaccines that targeted adult groups in Africa and South America: MenAfriVac (meningitis A); 17D (yellow fever) and rVSV-ZEBOV (Ebola virus disease).

        Source: ‘Learn from the lessons and don’t forget them’: identifying transferable lessons for COVID-19 from meningitis A, yellow fever and Ebola virus disease vaccination campaigns

          Views 492

          COVID-19: Silencing health workers, researchers, and journalists caused unnecessary deaths, says Amnesty International

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          Governments are causing unnecessary covid-19 deaths by trying to silence healthcare workers, journalists, and researchers, Amnesty International has said.

          By clamping down on freedom of expression they have damaged peoples’ ability to access accurate and timely information to help them respond to the global health crisis, the human rights group said in a report Silenced and Misinformed: Freedom of Expression in Danger During COVID-19. Simultaneously, big tech has amplified the reach of inaccurate and dangerous information.

          Source: COVID-19: Silencing health workers, researchers, and journalists caused unnecessary deaths, says Amnesty International

            Views 468

            What Does it Mean to Engage the Public in the Response to COVID-19?

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            The authors of this article examine the different types of demands found in calls for public engagement in pandemic decision making and explain how to meet them. They focus on the responsibilities of governments because their decisions have far reaching social consequences, but institutions such as hospital systems, schools, corporations, and universities also make decisions that profoundly affect the communities they serve and should engage affected communities in their decision making.

            Source: What Does it Mean to Engage the Public in the Response to COVID-19?

              Views 361

              Social Media and Vaccine Hesitancy

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              The authors globally evaluate the effect of social media and online foreign disinformation campaigns on vaccination rates and attitudes towards vaccine safety.

              The study found that the use of social media to organise offline action is highly predictive of the belief that vaccinations are unsafe, with such beliefs mounting as more organization occurs on social media. In addition, the prevalence of foreign disinformation is highly statistically and substantively significant in predicting a drop in mean vaccination coverage over time.

              Source: Social Media and Vaccine Hesitancy

                Views 335

                Communication Tools in the COVID-19 Era and Beyond which Can Optimise Professional Practice and Patient Care

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                Following the outbreak of COVID-19, the World Health Organization made a number of recommendations regarding the utilisation of healthcare services. In general, there has been a reduction in elective healthcare services including outpatient clinics, diagnostic services and elective surgery.

                Inevitably these reductions for all but the most urgent clinical work will have a detrimental impact on patients, and alternative ways of working including the use of telemedicine may help to mitigate this. Similarly, electronic solutions may enable clinicians to maintain inter and intra-professional working in both clinical and academic settings. Implementation of electronic solutions to minimise direct patient contact will be new to many clinicians, and the sheer number of software solutions available and varying functionality may be overwhelming to anyone unfamiliar with ‘virtual communication’.

                In this article, we will aim to summarise the variety of electronic communication platforms and tools available for clinicians and patients, detailing their utility, pros and cons, and some ‘tips and tricks’ from our experience through our work as an international research collaborative.

                Source: Communication Tools in the COVID-19 Era and Beyond which Can Optimise Professional Practice and Patient Care

                  Views 322

                  Prioritising the Role of Community Health Workers in the COVID-19 Response

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                  COVID-19 disproportionately affects the poor and vulnerable. Community health workers are poised to play a pivotal role in fighting the pandemic, especially in countries with less resilient health systems.

                  Drawing from practitioner expertise across four WHO regions, this article outlines the targeted actions needed at different stages of the pandemic to achieve the following goals:

                  1. PROTECT healthcare workers
                  2. INTERRUPT the virus
                  3. MAINTAIN existing healthcare services while surging their capacity
                  4. SHIELD the most vulnerable from socioeconomic shocks.

                  While decisive action must be taken now to blunt the impact of the pandemic in countries likely to be hit the hardest, many of the investments in the supply chain, compensation, dedicated supervision, continuous training and performance management necessary for rapid community response in a pandemic are the same as those required to achieve universal healthcare and prevent the next epidemic.

                  Source: Prioritising the Role of Community Health Workers in the COVID-19 Response

                    Views 404

                    British Medical Journal COVID-19 Hub

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                    British Medical Journal’s (BMJ) COVID-19 hub supports health professionals and researchers with practical guidance, online CPD courses, as well as the latest news, comment, and research from BMJ. The content is free and updated daily.

                    Source: British Medical Journal COVID-19 Hub

                      Views 395